“Emma! Mom says you’re gonna be late! Get your butt down here!” Emma groaned, not completely comprehending what her younger sister had yelled from the bottom of the stairs in front of her room. Emma squinted at her alarm clock, not fully registering what those blinking red numbers meant, nor where that distant, though oddly loud, beeping noise was coming from. Once she did though, it sent her into a panic.
“Ah, crap! I’m gonna be so late!” Emma sprang out of bed, hastily yanking on her favorite teal turtleneck and tugging on a particularly soft pair of jeans. One glance at her mirror told Emma that her wavy chestnut brown hair would take at least an hour to manage, so she pulled it into a side ponytail, tying a sky blue bow to keep everyone’s eyes off how tangled her hair was. Bounding down the stairs two at a time, she overheard her mom on the phone, sounding angry and stressed.
“No, Jack, you can not just leave for four years, then come back and demand to see the children, as I might remind you, you have never even tried to help take care of!" Emma’s mom screamed, slamming down the phone. As Emma listened, her heart felt heavy. Why was Dad coming back all of a sudden?, Emma thought as a hint of tears came to her eyes. She was suddenly hurtling back through bitter-sweet memories of her dad: Him hugging Emma on her first day of fifth grade, him walking out the front door.
That was the last memory she had of him. Only after mindlessly walking into the kitchen did Emma realize she was crying. She drew a shaky breath, which her mother noticed at once. Emma’s mom turned, looking shocked, as though she didn’t realize Emma would remember her own father.
“Oh, honey… I’m so sorry you had to hear that. I didn’t know you were standing there,” Emma’s mom said, pulling Emma into an embrace. She patted her hair lightly, while Emma just stood there, trying to stem her tears. Once Emma was semi-calm again, her mom pulled back and squeezed Emma’s shoulders.
“Why is Dad calling you? Is he coming home?” Emma asked quietly, hoping the answer was yes.
“No, I don’t think so, sweetheart… But if you do happen to see him, you need to be aware of something; He’s trying to take you and Kylee away from me. I don’t want to lose you, so remember this: I will always love you. You know that, right?” Emma
nodded, but a pointless war was raging in her head. Mom or Dad? Emma wondered, turning away to devour her eggs to make sure her mom couldn’t read her face. After practically inhaling her apple juice, Emma put her dishes in the sink. Racing out the front door to get to the bus stop, Emma thought about how her dad had left through these same doors, all those years ago, and never returned. Until now.
YOU ARE READING
Secret Lupine Life
WerewolfEmma is a normal teenage girl.... or so she thought. She has a secret bloodline, and learns about it through the least likely person who would know.
